1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable terminal having motion-recognition capability and a motion recognition method therefor, and in particular, to a portable terminal having a motion key for creating a motion entry upon activation, a motion detector for, upon activation of the motion key, measuring three-axis (X-, Y- and Z-axis) accelerations of the portable terminal, and a controller for determining whether the motion entry is completed based on the change of the three-axis acceleration measurements.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the use of mobile phones or PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) has increased dramatically. These portable terminals find wide use in increasing applications including image capturing with an equipped digital camera, satellite broadcasting reception, and games, beyond basic phone calls or scheduling.
In addition, a motion detector may be added to a portable terminal so that the motion or inclination of the handset itself can be used as a form of manipulation, instead of pressing a keypad with buttons or touching a touch screen.
For instance, shaking the portable terminal twice up and down can be used to conclude spam calls or delete spam messages. If a user air-draws a number with the portable terminal, the portable terminal will read this movement and dial the number by short dialing. The portable terminal can allow the user to play a percussion instrument like tambourine by shaking the portable terminal. The portable terminal also may have a motion beat box function that enables the user to shake the portable terminal to create a sound in rhythm with a motion. Drawing an “O” or “X” can cause the portable terminal to respond with a voice message “yes” or “no” in on-line games or in using emoticons. In addition, another song can be selected by means of a simple up and down motion of the portable terminal during MP3 playing.
Conventionally, the user first activates the motion key (On), makes an intended motion with the portable terminal, and then deactivates the motion key (Off).
A distinctive shortcoming with the conventional motion entry method is that severe shaking caused by an off motion of the motion key or a too slow or fast off motion of the motion key may decrease a motion detection rate. In addition, the user needs repeated learning to turn off the motion key in at a proper time.